Miami RedHawks receiver David Frazier seeks big year

Miami University wide receiver David Frazier gets up to make a reception during practice at Yager Stadium in April.(Photo: The Enquirer/Jeff Swinger)Buy Photo

Like most college students, David Frazier figured out that proper learning goes beyond appointed class time.

So when Miami University hired Chuck Martin as its new football coach, and Martin brought in co-coordinators George Barnett and Eric Koehler to run the offense, Frazier committed himself to doing his homework.

"As soon as I got out of class, I'd come straight to the stadium to learn the offense," Frazier said. "I asked so many questions in meetings. I just wanted to be sure I got it."

He got it all right. Frazier, a 6-foot, 180-pound senior from Columbia, S.C., quickly impressed everyone with his grasp of the system.

"He was probably the first one offensively this spring to make the big jump," Martin said. "He really started making plays before anyone else did. He was the one who figured out, 'if I do it that way, I've got a chance to make a play.'

"If we're going to have a chance to win games, he's going to be in the middle of the playmaking for us."

Frazier missed Miami's first four games last season, but still tied for the team lead in catches (28) and touchdowns (two). He had 302 receiving yards for an offense that struggled to move the ball vertically.

New quarterback Andrew Hendrix should help the RedHawks open up the field.

"Having Hendrix is like having a one of a kind quarterback," Frazier said. "He can just zip it in there anytime he wants do. Even if you don't run the best route, he's gonna get it there."

But Frazier did want to run the best routes, so in addition to regular spring and summer drills, he and Hendrix have put in extra hours on Saturday. You could call it a chemistry lab.

"If there's' something I'm not sure about, I can go to him and ask him how he wants it," Frazier said. "We'll come out here and work on it and really get it down."